News

Local Public Holiday update

22 September 2026

The Local Public Holiday survey closed on 9 August 2026. Thank you to everyone that provided their responses and feedback.

Community feedback showed a range of views on Bendigo's local public holiday.

  • Stay the same

    Keeping the current Bendigo Cup public holiday was the option chosen by the most survey respondents, with 38.7% supporting the holiday being held on the Wednesday before the Melbourne Cup.

  • Change

    36.5% preferred Bendigo to recognise the Melbourne Cup public holiday.

  • Change

    24.7% preferred Bendigo Show Day.

The information gathered from the survey was summarised and provided in a report to Council to consider ahead of a decision to be made at the Council Meeting on 21 September 2026 as to which public holiday will be recognised going forward.

Next steps

Council voted at the September Council meeting to keep Bendigo Cup as the local public holiday and will now apply to the Victorian Government for gazettal for this day to be the local public holiday for a period of five years, starting from 2027.

The Bendigo Cup local public holiday usually falls on the Wednesday before Melbourne Cup and only applies to the Greater Bendigo area west of the Campaspe River.

This Council decision does not affect the municipality that is east of the Campaspe River including Heathcote, which will continue to observe Melbourne Cup as its public holiday.

This year’s 2026 Bendigo Cup public holiday, on Wednesday October 28, is not affected by this decision.

Under the Public Holidays Act 1993, local governments outside Melbourne can apply to swap Melbourne Cup Day with a local public holiday.
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